The secrets we keep and the lies that kill
by 1998Babywriter
Summary: Lupo has been everywhere, seen cases that blew his mind but he didn't know someone from his own past held the biggest secret. when he meets up with his ex-fiancée Kate's sister Lisa, his life turns upside down. he learns that Kate has been hiding something or someone him for over five years, their daughter. But why? and why does she go so far to keep him away from her?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- the beginning of the story – October 2008

Cyrus Lupo had just clocked off and was meeting up with a girl for a drink at a local bar. Her name was Lisa Addison. He had known her and her sister, who he had dated, a few years ago and they had split on bad terms. But she had contacted him so he didn't mind meeting up for a drink and a chat.

The ended up having several drinks and talking way into the next morning. She told him her kids were growing up, that their dad had left her for his new woman and didn't want to see them anymore. She talked about her sister, Kate, who Lupo had dated for four years and had been engaged to before he had called the whole thing off. She told him she had a little girl, Alannah who was almost five. "Almost five?" asked Lupo "Are you sure?"

"Definite. She was born in December 2003, six months after you left Kate" she nodded "Why… you called off your engagement just over five and half years ago."

"Yeah well she was doing that other bloke behind my back" sneered Lupo, remembering her unfaithfulness to him. He hadn't taken it well when he had found out, he had walked in on them in the act without them noticing. He had left and got incredibly drunk. He had decided not to speak to her for a week before confronting her over it. Mainly because he had spent a lot of time going over it in his head, getting angrier and angrier about with each day that had passed. When he did confront her, it was when she came round to his apartment demanding to know why he hadn't returned any of her calls, texts or emails in over a week which had resulted in them having a blazing row which had lasted for hours. And had ended up with the cops (from 4th precinct) detaining them both, as the neighbours had heard a lot clashing (making them think one of them-most likely him- was hurting the other or that they were hurting each other) and had heard them threatening each other with violence. "I wasn't staying with her after that."

"Cyrus she loved you" said Lisa, smiling

"If she had, she wouldn't have been sleeping with someone else behind my back" he replied placing his glass down on the table "I was furious. I loved her. I wanted to marry her and she went and shagged someone else"

"I know" sighed Lisa "She regretted it"

"She could've said that to me" said Lupo "I might've found it in my heart to forgive her."

"Well she was stupid. I told her that loads of times after I found out. Which was just after you found out" said Lisa "You were a good guy, you were good to her. Not like some of the dicks she dated before you and much better than the prick she married"

"She got married?" he asked, a little shocked. Also a little angry, he had been about to marry her when he had found out she had been cheating on him. He had wanted to marry her, he had loved her a lot and she had just thrown it back in his face. That had really stung. Of course now he was over her by far. He had moved on and seen other girls. Though none he'd want to marry or could consider a serious relationship with.

"Yeah. To Justin, the bloke she was seeing behind your back. I don't know why. They barely see eye to eye on anything" replied Lisa "He's just useless. He sits around all day getting high or getting pissed, he works but it's minimal. He could get a better a job but no he'd rather sit around on his arse all day and let her support them. He barely wants to know with Alannah these days. He's useless, I've told her a hundred times, leave him you can do much better than that useless good for nothing layabout. But she won't listen. She says she staying for Alannah's sake, but he doesn't care about her. About either of them. She's a stubborn piece of work my little sister."

"Tell me about it" he laughed "But I liked that about her. She knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it."

"She wanted children with you" said Lisa

"She could've if she hadn't done Justin behind my back for six months!" replied Lupo "I would've had children with her if she hadn't slept with him!"

"I know" said Lisa

"Do you know why she did it?" he asked her

"She was lonely. You were working loads, away a bit. She loved you but she was lonely. You worked all the hours god could send, she hardly ever saw you. She wanted you to notice her, to pay her a bit more attention. But she went about it the wrong way" explained Lisa "She regrets it. She said if she could go back time and change things she would never have started sleeping with Justin, she would've stayed with you, married you."

"I was working the hours so we could set up a good home and not be living off benefits. But the past is exactly what it is. The past" sighed Cyrus

"So" she said placing her glass on table "What did you do after you left her?"

"I changed jobs I went to work in Intel and worked all over the place. Hardly in one place for too long" he replied

"What about your big brother, tommy?" she asked "Did he beat his cancer? Last time we spoke he was still undergoing rigorous chemotherapy"

"He died" sighed Lupo, remembering back to that call he had received for his sister-in-law telling him tommy was dead. "He did go into remission but it returned and it was too late. He was in pain. He took his own life, with assistance."

"Oh, I'm so sorry" she replied sympathetically

"We weren't close. But I do miss him, his kids do. I just wish I'd returned his call instead of choosing to ignore it for work. His kids, I see them a lot to make up for it." He said. There was an awkward silence which lasted quite a while before he decided to swap to topics and thought he might have a go a chatting her up "So you're single"

"Yeah, Leo fucked off. He was seeing this hoar and decided to leave me with two kids, who he never sees and a broken heart. So yeah I'm single" she replied "Why?"

"I wouldn't mind fixing your heart for you" he grinned. "You busy this Saturday?"

"Yeah sorry booked up there, its tommy's birthday. He's having a sleepover" said Lisa "What about the Wednesday after that?"

"I'm working then. Work is pretty hectic at the moment. We're on a massive murder case, we want to nail our guy to the wall with evidence" He replied "What about that Friday?"

"I think I'm free then" she smiled searching in her back for her diary. "Yep. I'm free and I should be able to get a babysitter. Who knew it would be so hard to book a date!"

"Who knew" he smiled, something crept onto his mind. Why exactly had she gotten in touch with him? "Why did you get in touch with me?"

"You were nearly my brother-in-law Cyrus! I wanted to catch up with you. It's been over five years since we spoke." She smiled "Anyway I was always pretty fond of you. I was quite attracted to you. I heard a rumour you were single, I thought, he's single, I'm single, why not?"

"Why not" he nodded. Lisa was still the kind hearted, fun girl he remembered. When he and Kate had been together, they had always gotten on very well. Kate had once stated she was jealous of their closeness for a reason she never specified (though he was certain it was because of something she had been told by her mistaken friend) but she had allowed them to be friends. He remembered one occasion very fondly, they had gone out for a drink and had ended up getting wrecked but they hadn't stopped laughing all night. He had never tried it on with her and she had never tried it on with him. They had respected each other's relationships with their respective partners, which nether Kate nor Lisa's ex Leo the cheat, believed. It had been subject of two separate rows. One between him and Kate, during which she had claimed he had slept with Lisa after they had gotten drunk because he hadn't come home. He had told her he had crashed at a friend's house, which had been true and Lisa had gone off with one of her friends. She had told him a friend of her and sister Lisa had seen them getting a bit frisky, which had mistakenly led her to believe they had gone home together and had sex. The second had been between him, Kate, Lisa and Leo the cheat in Lisa and Leo's apartment. Kate and Leo had sparked it together. Leo had even gone for him with his fists and broken his nose. He was jealous about something which hadn't happened. Though during this argument Leo and Kate had both said that the friend who had mistakenly told Kate and Leo that he and Lisa had, had sex had said they had been very close the whole night and looked like they were together or if they weren't together they should be; that looked like they were made for each other. This had been why Leo had gone for him. Lisa had called him in secret, telling him Leo had whacked her one with a ladle so he had arrested him but she had refused to press charges. Which had caused friction between him and Kate at the time, she was mad that he had arrested her sister's boyfriend and mad that her friend believed he and her sister them to be made for each other. He had insisted he loved her and no one else, especially Lisa. She had come round eventually and they had gotten engaged a few months later. "You know it's been nice to see you. I'm glad you got in contact. I was thinking about getting in contact with you or with Kate at some point."

"I don't think she would be that happy about it if you did. And if she finds out about this she really won't be happy"

"Oh that's right she hates me" he shook his head

"Never mind I don't" smiled Lisa "I need to be getting home. That babysitter will be wanting all my money at this rate. She likes to charge high rates, but she is fantastic with tommy and Nina. They love her so I use her. It's been great to talk to you again Cyrus. I look forward to next Friday"

"Me too" he smiled. She kissed him on the cheek then dashed out of the bar to hail a taxi to take her home. He smiled to himself, he had a date with her. That had never been his intention but maybe it would work out. He had always gotten on really well with her, he had once, when he and Kate had been on a break, considered her if he and Kate didn't get back together. But they had and it had worked out until she had cheated on him ending things for good. But he'd thrown himself into his job and lost contact with them. After finishing his drink he left the bar and headed home, still grinning.

The next day his partner, Kevin Bernard, wanted to know all the gory details of his 'date' with Lisa. "How was your date?"

"It wasn't a date. It was just a catch up with an old friend" replied Lupo "It went fine. She was hotter than I remember though"

"So have you made another date?" asked Bernard

"Yes." He replied "Next Friday."

"So she's an old friend?" Bernard pried

"I was engaged to her sister but I called things off." Said Lupo

"Why what she do?" asked Bernard, smirking

"She cheated on me. So I ended it" replied Lupo

"And now you're eyeing up sister" grinned Bernard "That is gonna be one hell of an awkward reunion. I would pay good bucks to see that"

"Oi!" said Lieutenant Van Buren coming out of her office "Focus. I don't want EADA cutter moaning about lack of evidence or the defence to rip this apart. The DA wants it to stick to Benton without any reasonable doubt."

"Sorry Lou" said Bernard returning his focus to the papers on the desk in front of him. "Jesus Christ will we ever get these things sorted! Every time we get one done ten more seem to appear. The arraignment is tomorrow afternoon"

"But this won't be required till the case goes to court" said Lupo "If it goes to court"

"It better. After all this work!" replied Bernard picking up another piece of paper.

The following Friday soon arrived and Lupo got ready for his dinner date with Lisa. "Have a good time!" grinned Bernard. Lupo rolled his eyes and shut his locker before heading off to his date with Lisa.

The date went well and the arranged another for the following week. Soon they'd been on four dates and he wondered if she was ready to take it to the next level. "Would you like to come back to my place tonight?" he asked

"Yes I would" she grinned "Mum's got Nina and tommy over hers tonight. I'm all yours till tomorrow morning"

"That sounds interesting" he raised his eyebrows suggestively

Soon they left the restaurant and took the subway back to his apartment. They started snogging on the train, everyone was watching but they didn't care. When they reached their destination they jumped off and headed up to Lupo's apartment. He pushed the door closed behind them and they threw themselves at each other. They wrapped their arms around each other's bodies as they kissed passionately their tongues massaging the others. She pushed his jacket off and ripped of his shirt. He took off cardigan and unzipped the back of her dress and pushed it down till it fell onto the floor. She undid his belt and unzipped his trousers and pushed them down. She leaned on him and he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. In their underwear he carried her in his arms, still kissing her into his bedroom. He took off her bra and dropped it on the floor then pushed her underwear off so she was totally naked in his arms. She pushed his pants down and pulled him onto the bed. He kissed her their bodies massaging each other as he entered her body. They both stiffened up and as they rocked back and forth together. After they had made love they fell asleep in his bed, both still naked.

A few weeks later she introduced him to her two children, Nina, nine and tommy, eleven. Tommy remembered him from before but only very vaguely, Nina didn't really remember him but the last time he had seen her she had been four and tommy had been six. Then a few weeks later she invited him to go to Alannah's fifth birthday with her as her boyfriend. They had just officially become an item. "Please!" she gave him puppy eyes "I've told her I'm bringing someone"

"Ok" he gave in "But if she gets mad at me or you I'm leaving. She tried to take my eyes out when in confronted her over her cheating"

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" she chirped before kissing him on the lips.

"Errrrggggggh!" said Nina and tommy in unison together. They both laughed.

Three days later it was Alannah's party. They headed there together with Nina and tommy, who had become quite fond of him. When Kate saw him her expression was both surprised and angry. She had a knife in her hand which almost made him turn around and leave. "Cyrus" she said begrudgingly "What the hell are you doing here?"

"He's-" Lisa began but Kate cut her off.

"Here to arrest Justin for doing dope knowing him" sneered Kate "After all I did sleep with him behind his back. He would want revenge. He didn't get it last time did he?"

"I'm not here to arrest Justin." Said Cyrus "I'm here as Lisa's boyfriend"

"What!" exclaimed Kate "You've got to be kidding me!"

"No" said Lisa "I got in contact with him a few weeks ago and we were both single. It's not like you're an item any more. You screwed around behind his back with that useless prick"

"Justin isn't useless" retorted Kate before walking away.

He soon met little Alannah when she walked over him with Nina. She had a round face, big brown eyes, a small nose and lots of long dark curls. Lisa picked her up and held her so her face was near Lupo's without noticing and Nina said "Cyrus she looks like you"

"No she doesn't don't be silly" laughed Lisa

"Tommy said you and Auntie Kate used to be together" said Nina innocently "Is she your daughter?"

"No of course not" replied Lupo

"But she looks like you" Nina insisted.

"Go on Nina, go and get some food" said Lisa "Go on!" Nina huffed and walked away. "Sorry about her. She's got this obsession with asking people very personal questions"

"She's nine" shrugged Lupo "It's what they do". He looked at Alannah but he started to see that Nina was right, she did look a lot like him. She had his shaped face, his nose and his eyes but Kate's mouth. The resemblance was spookily uncanny, it was undeniable. He thought back, there was no reason that Alannah couldn't be his. She was five, he had split with Kate about six months before she would've been born. She would've been at least three months then. She must've known before he'd ended things, when he'd called off their engagement. Had she kept it from him deliberately?

Just before Kate did the cake Justin returned home with some candles, one in the shape of a number five. Kate put them on top of the cake then carried it through to the main room where Alannah blew them out. Lupo noticed Justin watching him intently from the other side of the room instead of watching his daughter blow out her candles on her birthday cake. After Kate went into the kitchen with the cake, Justin made his way over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Lisa invited me" replied Lupo "She's my girlfriend"

"You're seeing Lisa?" he asked, seeming somewhat relieved of something that had been troubling him.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Oh right" said Justin before walking off again.

Lupo frowned, why had been so interested to know why he was there? It was strange, it almost made Lupo think he had something to hide. Like maybe a guilty conscience, probably not though.

And that's how it all began. It began with a question and a little curiosity. Curiosity never killed anyone right?


	2. Chapter 2: Little white lies

Chapter 2 – Little white lies

Cyrus Lupo had found himself somewhat conflicted over Alannah, the resemblance she had to him was uncanny. Had Nina been right? But surely if she was his and Kate had known she was pregnant before he called off their engagement then their entire relationship, she would've told him. She had never been good at keeping secrets from he remembered of her, and those memories were both fragmented and tinted by the fact she had cheated on him then married they guy! That was the only secret she had ever kept. She broke very easily when it came down to that. Or maybe she hadn't been the angel he'd once thought she was. The idea of actually talking to her about seemed a good idea in his head a first but when it came down to it, it seemed like a very bad idea that could open up a whole can of worms that should've stayed shut. Something else did cross his mind though, maybe Lisa knew, she might be able to put it to bed for him or not. So he decided he would ask her.

He had gone round after work; he had just given evidence in court for a murder trial, it had been a very long day and now he intended to put this to bed. "Hey" she smiled before gently kissing him on the lips. She led him inside and they went into the kitchen. He shut the door behind them not wanting Nina and tommy listening in or walking in on them. "Is everything ok?"

"I need to ask you something" he replied sitting down

"What about?" she frowned sitting down opposite her

"About Alannah" he looked into her eyes hoping to god she did know something they would help him lay this to rest. "You know what Nina said at her party. About her looking like me"

"I can't believe she said it" said Lisa

"It could be true" he said

"Yes it could" Lisa nodded "You were still together when she found out. Which was before you found out she was cheating and before you called off your engagement to her"

"She knew then?" he asked

"Yes" Lisa replied, knowing she'd put her foot in it but at the same time knowing he did have some right to know this. "She found when she was six weeks, two months before you discovered she was cheating on you with Justin and two months before you called off your engagement to her. She was fourteen weeks when you discovered she had been cheating and fifteen weeks when you ended it with her"

"She knew she was pregnant two months before I called time on us?" he asked pointing at the table with his index finger. She had kept that a secret from him; it was also something he probably should've noticed. But he had been working a lot then, the hours had been unrelenting, which he now understood was why she had cheated. "Before I found she was cheating on me with Justin"

"Yeah. She knew alright. She even took me to her scan at twelve weeks." Said Lisa, now knowing her sister had betrayed him in more ways than one. The fact she may have kept his child away from him for the first five years of her life was totally on unfair on both of them. "I said when she told me I bet Cyrus will be pleased and she just shrugged at me and said maybe, maybe not. Then left"

"I might've been if she'd had the decency to tell me" he shook his head.

"I thought it was a bit odd when she asked me to go with her to the clinic for her scan instead of you" said Lisa "I asked her why you weren't there and she said you were working."

"She never even asked me" he leaned back in the chair in slight frustration "She lied to me every time"

"She's good with excuses" sighed Lisa

"Do you know why she hates me now… apart from the fact that I left her hanging, ended our engagement and stopped giving her the time of day?" he asked

"She heard that you slept with someone two days after you called off your engagement. She saw it as being very hypocritical" replied Lisa "She didn't even know if was true but it sure made her mad. That's why when you saw each other again and you called time on your whole relationship she was so mad at you. And I think it's because you arrested Justin for doing dope three times in the month before you changed jobs and tried to get him locked up on a possession charge or an intent to deal charge. That's why she hates you now."

"I know what I did and I can't say I'm proud of it. But an eye for an eye" said Lupo "She cheated on me for months, I had sex one time, with one girl after I had called off our engagement as revenge. She had been cheating on me for months. And he was doing dope, speed, coke and heroin; I don't know how he didn't get banged up for it. Three times he was arrested, twice he was caught red-handed."

"His lawyer was very crafty" said Lisa "He claimed you had obsession with putting him away and were harassing him. He was threatening to file a lawsuit against you"

"Yeah well if I had arrested him again my boss would've fired me" said Lupo "he did not want to deal with a lawsuit because the department would've all been included. So I backed down and worked on being a good detective but now everyone's forgotten about the lawsuit that never was and the six times I arrested him I wouldn't mind putting him in jail."

"I don't think he has" laughed Lisa "He was furious when he saw you at Alannah's birthday. They both were. He and Kate had a massive row and he whacked her one so she whacked him one back. Their neighbour nearly had to call your department. She thought they were going to kill each other"

"So Nina was right then?" he asked

"I don't know. She told me she'd had a DNA test done on Alannah testing her against Justin's DNA. She said he was her biological father and l left it alone. I knew Nina was talking sense but right there, right then in the middle of her apartment didn't seem like the place for that awkward conversation… it's been three months anyway. Why now?"

"I've just been thinking about it and doing a bit of my own digging. I do know because I've made phone calls to a lot of people, she never had a paternity test on Alannah" he explained

"I think she knew what the results would probably be so she never had it done. Justin wanted Alannah to be his, you had left her and she wanted to keep him so she just took the samples and never actually sent them off. He thought she'd had it done. She must've faked that letter from the lab." Said Lisa "So she lied to him so he wouldn't leave her, so he wouldn't leave her a single mom"

She hadn't so much as put it to bed for him as much as she had opened the subject a whole lot further. He did think he should talk to Kate over it, but her habit of being unreasonable and unrelenting when she knew what wanted talked him out of it. He did call her but he got through to voicemail. She left one in return where she swaggered through the whole thing, telling him not to call again and if she did she would call his boss and have him sacked for harassment and file a lawsuit. But it got him thinking. What was she so afraid of? Why wouldn't she talk to him civilly anymore? He had moved on from her cheating and had left Justin alone years ago, he'd never even know about Alannah until he had met up with Lisa last October. He'd made his point five and half years ago, he'd let it go so why hadn't she?

Lisa had trying talking her sister but she didn't get anywhere with her either. "I've tried talking to her Cyrus. But she keeps shutting me off and telling me to get lost and mind my own business. She's temperamental but this off the scale!" said Lisa as she got into bed. "I don't know what's going on her inside her head at the moment but it's not her normal thought process I'll bet you"

"She was always a bit hot-headed and irrational" he replied walking into the room "The voicemail she left on my phone was vile. There wasn't a sentence when she didn't swear. She threatened if I called again she would file a lawsuit for harassment and make sure Lou fires me"

"A lawsuit?" said Lisa "What's going through her head at the moment!"

"I don't know and I don't want to know" he laughed slightly. "But if she files a lawsuit against me she'll claim half my possessions and most of my savings."

"She'll come round" sighed Lisa "She usually does" She reached for the light and the room went dark. He wrapped his arm around her waist and they drifted off to sleep.

A few days later whilst at work he received a phone call from a number he didn't recognise. "Lupo speaking… Justin…" It was Justin, the guy he'd arrested three times in one month, tried to have banged up and had shagged his girlfriend behind his back for months. "About what? Won't Kate get mad when she sees me…? Justin why do want to-… ok. I'll be there in twenty minutes." He ended the call and put his phone away. Justin had told him to come round to their apartment that afternoon as Kate would be out. "That sounded like a fascinating call"

"That was Justin" said Lupo

"Who's Justin?" asked Bernard

"My ex-fiancée's husband" replied Lupo resting his elbows on his desk "The bloke she was doing behind my back before I called time on us"

"Now that is a phone call I should've bugged!" laughed Bernard "What did he want with you. Surely you'd want nothing to with each other"

"I dunno he didn't say. He wants to talk to me" Lupo shrugged his shoulders "But he said now because Kate's not there."

"You don't have an illegitimate child with her that he wants to argue over?!" suggested Bernard, before chuckling to himself. But Lupo didn't laugh as he didn't find it funny because he recently found he may well have. "You haven't"

"I don't know" he admitted "I left her nearly six years ago, in June 2003. Her daughter turned five in December you do the math"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" smirked Bernard.

"She is one hell of a woman scorned" said Lupo rising from his chair "And when she wants something she usually gets it". Bernard shook his head as Lupo left the precinct and headed round to apartment of his ex-fiancée and her husband, that was total not normal. He took the subway and got off in queens. He walked up to their apartment and knocked on the door. Justin soon opened and beckoned him. "What's going on Justin? You hate my guts"

"I know I do. But can be more reasonable than my darling wife" replied Justin "Do want something to drink? Larger?"

"No, I'm still on duty" replied Lupo "I'll get fired if my lieutenant smells alcohol on me". Justin went into the kitchen and came out with a glass of water and a can of larger. They sat down, Justin in the armchair, Lupo on the sofa. "Can you just get down it, I have to back to work"

"Alannah" said Justin "I know she's yours." Lupo choked on the sip of water he had just taken. "It's obvious. She looks just like you. I should've known Kate lied to me years ago. I suppose I was just kidding myself"

"When did she tell you she was pregnant?" Lupo asked placing his glass down on the table

"When she was eight weeks" shrugged Justin "When did she tell you?"

"She didn't" said Lupo, even Justin had known! That made him somewhat angry as he had been her fiancée at the time and she'd never even bothered to tell him she was pregnant. "Not even when I left her. She never had the decency"

"I just thought all these years she had and you just didn't want anything to with her and Alannah" replied Justin

"I wouldn't ignore my own child" Lupo shook his head "Why did you think she had?"

"She told me she had after you dumped her" shrugged Justin "Just for the record I didn't know you were still seeing each other when we started sleeping together. She told you had left her before we did"

"So why this now?" asked Lupo

"Well" began Justin "You're back around now and come on I can't deny how much she looks like you. It doesn't seem fair, if she is yours why you should miss out on being her dad"

"So what are you saying?" frowned Lupo. Either Justin had an ulterior motive or he was being genuine.

"I think we should do a paternity test" said Justin "I want to know where I stand. I know I haven't been there for her much in the last couple of years but I do love her. But even I don't see it fair if you are you should be denied access to her and if you want to involved I can't stop you legally. She has a right to know who her dad is."

"Ok" Lupo went over it his head, this could clear it all up for them. If he was her father he did want access to her; that was something he was certain of.

A door opened and Alannah walked into the room holding a cuddly bear. She walked over them sucking her thumb. She sat down on the sofa next to him and studied him. "Are you my daddy" she asked suddenly. Justin and Lupo looked at each other then back at her. What were they meant to say? She was five, she wouldn't understand it all yet but when the answer might well be yes they had to say something. "I'm a friend of your mom's"

"I heard you talking" she said "About me and mommy. Daddy said if I'm yours you shouldn't miss out on being my daddy"

"Anna" said Justin softly "We'll explain in a few weeks but before we can we're going to have to do something so we're clear to explain to you". She nodded holding onto her bear. Justin went into the kitchen again and returned with an envelope. He pulled out three swabs. He did Alannah's first then his own while Lupo did his. He stuck the, what resembled a cotton bud in his mouth and rubbed on the side of his mouth before putting it into the tube which Justin had already labelled Cyrus Lupo. Afterwards Justin said "I'll get these sent off, we'll probably know in about three weeks". Lupo nodded before leaving, his head filled with a million questions. Was Justin telling the truth about him seeing it as unfair for him not be allowed to see her or did he just want the money he would have to pay Kate if Alannah was his? He didn't know and that bugged him.

After work he went round to Lisa's and told what had happened that day with Justin and Alannah. She was a little surprised.

"You did what!" exclaimed Lisa "Kate will kill you, both!"

"She might've been keeping my child from me for five years!" he replied, this did rile him up because she had just lied to him time and time again.

"He wants your money Cyrus" said Lisa "That's all he wants. I know him well enough to know that."

"But I want to know if she's my daughter" he stated

"You really do want to be involved if she is yours don't you?" she smiled slightly.

"Yes of course I do. If had known Kate was pregnant I might not have started working away all the time. I would've been involved from the word go" he replied

"I know you would've" she smiled slipping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him in for a kiss. "Hang on Alannah was there… did she hear?"

"Yes she heard" he bit his lip "She came into the room after Justin suggested we do a paternity test off her accord. She asked me if I was her dad"

"If she goes and talks to Kate about it, well let's just say you can't investigate your own murder" she said

"You don't think she'd actually kill me?" he asked

"I don't know" Lisa looked into his eyes "She's pretty protective of Alannah and she hates people interfering in her business that's all I'm saying… and you know if she wants something she gets it"

"I am dead" he said "I want my favourite song played at my funeral and everyone has to wear something red"

"Stop it!" she laughed swatting his arm playfully. "Look I'll talk some sense into her, make her see it's the right thing to-" she was cut off by a long banging on the front door.

"Who's calling at this god for saken hour?" he asked as they both went to door. Lisa pulled the front door open and saw Kate and Alannah standing on the other side. "You" seethed glaring maliciously at him. She let go of Alannah's hand and stormed inside. Lupo backed into the bedroom as she head straight for him. But she stormed in there and walked up to him, her eyes filled with a homicidal rage. She walked up to him and slapped him round the face as hard as she possibly could "YOU BASTARD!" She yelled "I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

"Kate!" Lisa shouted walking into the room "What the fuck do you think you're playing at? Coming round her at one o'clock in the fucking morning, storming in and slapping my boyfriend around the face!"

"HE'S FORCED JUSTIN TO DO A PATERNITY TEST OF ALANNAH!" she roared "THE INTERERING BASTARD!"

"Excuse me. I'm not the one who forget to mention to her fiancée she was pregnant or tell me she'd had a baby!" he shouted

"I DIDN'T TELL YOU BECAUSE SHE'S NOT YOURS!" She spat. "Do you know what he's done?" she turned to Lisa.

"Yes I do" replied Lisa

"I get home from Nans and Alannah comes up to me and says I met my other daddy today. So I ask her what she means and she says they're doing a test with her" seethed Kate "I can't believe you'd stoop so low to get back at me!"

"I'm not doing it to get back at you" he laughed, shaking his head "I have a right to know if Alannah is my child"

"You don't have any rights" she spat "I don't know what makes you think you do!"

"I was with you when you got pregnant!" he retorted "Only you never had the decency to tell me did you?"

"She is Justin's" she raged through gritted teeth

"How do you know!" he shook his head with rage "YOU WERE DOING US BOTH AT THE SAME TIME!"

"YOU BASTARD!" She screamed for slapping him again

"Do that again I'll arrest you" he seethed clutching his cheek.

"Like you arrested Justin three times in as many weeks" she snarled "When he was quite clearly innocent?"

"He wasn't innocent and you know it" he replied

"LEAST HE'S BEEN THERE FOR ME AND ALANNAH!" She snapped

"I DIDN'T KNOW SHE EXISTED UNTIL LAST OCTOBER!" He raged "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. YOU NEVER EVEN TOLD ME YOU WERE PREGNANT!"

"YOU WERE NEVER THERE FOR ME!" She raged "YOU CARED MORE ABOUT YOUR STUPID JOB THAN YOU EVER DID ME"

"NO I WASN'T BUT I LOVED YOU!" he yelled "I WANTED TO MARRY YOU. START A FAMILY WITH YOU BUT YOU THREW IT BACK IN MY FACE"

"AND NOW YOU WANT TO RUIN MARRIAGE TO GET BACK AT ME!" She roared

"NO I DON'T" He shouted "ALL I WANT TO DO IS FIND OUT IF ALANNAH'S MY DAUGHTER."

"EVEN IF SHE IS, WHICH SHE ISNT, YOURE NOT HAVING ACCESS!" She yelled

"WHY ARE YOU SUCH A SELFISH BITCH?" He raged "YOU'VE ALREADY KEPT HER A SECRET FROM FOR FIVE AND A HALF YEARS!"

"YOU FUCKED OFF!" She spat

"I LEFT YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE SCREWING AROUND BEHIND MY BACK WITH JUSTIN" He retorted "YOU HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO TELL ME YOU WERE PREGNANT!"

"I HATE YOU!" She screamed before hitting him around the face again.

"GET OUT!" Shouted Lisa "GET OUT OF MY APARTMENT NOW OR I'LL CALL THE COPS MYSELF!"

"If you come anywhere near my family again I swear down Cyrus I will kill you" she snarled before storming out, slamming the front door behind her.

Lisa and Lupo sat down on her bed and stared awkwardly at the floor until a phone started ringing. The phone in question was on the floor and didn't belong to either of them. Lisa picked it up. "its Kate's it must've fallen out of her pocket" she answered the call. "No I'm her sister… he's what… how… is it serious… ok I'll find her and get her to come in now... thanks for letting us know" then she hung up. "That was a nurse from the hospital near where Justin and Kate live… he's just walked in there looking like he's been badly beat up"

"She wouldn't… would she?" he asked

"I don't know her temper is so volatile these days" Lisa gulped, the thought of sister seriously assaulting her own husband was quite a nasty thought. "You saw the way she acted just now though. If he was there when she first exploded with anger he would've bore the brunt of her anger. He would've got the worst of it."

"Is Justin hurt?" asked Alannah walking into the room.

"She didn't take you with her?" asked Lisa. Alannah shook her head.

"Mommy was very angry" said Alannah "At daddy because I told him about you" she pointed to Lupo "And about what daddy did with us"

"What did she do?" asked Lupo

"She told me to go in my room" replied Alannah "Then she started shouting at daddy. I opened the door and she was hitting him"

"Then she brought you here with her and left you here" said Lisa

"She has hit daddy before" Alannah added. "She said she was going to kill him"

Lisa and Lupo looked at each other. Had Kate attacked him because of what they'd done that afternoon? Had she lost it at him? Was this beginning of a nasty cycle?


	3. Chapter 3: Blind

For imtakingallyoudownwithme, thanks for commenting. glad you are enjoying it. Enjoy.

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Chapter 3: Blind

The next morning Kate back to collect Alannah. "Justin's in hospital" said Lisa

"What happened to him?" asked Kate, shocked.

"He's been beaten up pretty bad" said Lisa "He said you did it"

"I didn't hurt my husband" said Kate "He hurt me. He tried to kill me… then he… he…he" her words stopped but Lisa was having none of it.

"Don't lie to me" Lisa shook her head "We're sisters. We don't hide things from each other."

"You hid the fact you were sleeping with Cyrus from me" sneered Kate, her body seemed to be shaking.

"Because I knew how you'd react!" replied Lisa "What happened between us? We used to be so close and now we barely talk. What happened?"

"He did. Justin did" she replied, her voice shaking "It's his fault"

"You can't blame this on him" Lisa shook her head angrily "He didn't make you a bitch"

"How dare you!" snapped Kate before slapping Lisa round the face. As she did Lupo came into the hall and pulled her away. "Why are you so violent?!"

"Get off me!" cried Kate. He let her go once Lisa had opened the door and she ran out of it. Alannah ran after her and Lisa slammed the front door shut and turned back to him. Her lip was bleeding from where Kate had slapped her one. "Are you ok?" he asked

"I think so" she sighed touching her lip "I don't know why she's doing this. It's just not like her, she didn't used to be this way. If I'd been there for her when she had that miscarriage she might not have changed into this person."

"It's not your fault" he shook his head. He felt much the same way about his brother's suicide, he regretted never calling back when he had called him the last time. "She had a miscarriage?"

"Yeah… about two years ago. She was absolutely devastated" replied Lisa "She cried for days. After that she changed became cagey and angry all the time at everyone"

Lisa and Lupo visited Justin in hospital to ask him whether or not Kate had attacked him. He told them she had then he asked Lisa to go so he could talk to Lupo alone. "This is why I wanted to know if I'm Alannah's dad" said Justin "I want to leave her, I have for months and take Alannah with me but I knew, I always have, Alannah might not be mine. She would claim I'd kidnapped her and if their DNA proved I wasn't, I'd do life in prison for abduction. I don't want to go to prison, I love that little girl. I could never see harm come to her. I get scared every time she hits me, she will turn on Alannah"

"So she has been hitting you for a while?" asked Lupo

"Ever since she had that miscarriage two years ago." Replied Justin "She changed overnight. I tried to be there for her, but she pushed me away. Then she started getting more violent. She hits me with anything she can find, she throws things at me, and she's even bitten me. She won't stop. I threatened her that I will call the cops but I don't want to admit my wife is beating me"

"No one will think it's shameful" reassured Lupo "You can make this official, I'll get someone to come down and take a statement"

"No" Justin shook his head "All I want is for Alannah to be safe. I don't care what happens to me. I just want Alannah to be safe. Kate does love her, but when she gets in a rage, she could do anything. That's why I had to know. I got off drugs for that little girl, I would do anything to protect her. But if she isn't mine I can't run away with her."

"But your name must be on her birth certificate" said Lupo

"It's not" replied Justin "She put yours on it"

"What?!" Lupo exclaimed "She did what?"

"When Alannah was born she was closed off about who her father so she went and did the birth certificate on her own." Explained Justin "I asked her when she got home whose she put down and she said mine. But a few days ago after she threw a vase at me then a kitchen knife, I went to find out for myself because I knew I had to leave her and take Alannah with me. I told them I was Alannah's father and they allowed me to see it. My name was not on there, instead of seeing Justin Greene under father I saw Cyrus Lupo."

"She put my name down?" asked Lupo

"Yeah" Justin nodded "I don't know why she lied to me. I would've understood. You were still her fiancée when she fell pregnant. She doesn't know who Alannah's father is so she strung me along. I loved her, I really did but now I hate her. She doesn't know when to stop. I'm worried she'll hurt Alannah"

Justin didn't make a statement and he was discharged the following day; he went home to Kate as if she hadn't put him in hospital. The weeks dragged by, Lupo's mind was running round in circles. He desperately wanted to talk to Kate, but her temper worried him, he honestly thought if he went round and tried to talk to her she lose it and hit like she hit Justin. He wanted to know why she had put his name on Alannah's birth certificate yet insisted he was not her father. And he wanted to know more than anything if she really was his daughter. But he struggled to accept, to get his head round Kate beating Justin. He had known her since she was eleven and all in that time, the time they had dated she had never been violent. In fact she had been the gentlest girl he'd ever known back then.

Finally after three and half weeks the DNA results arrived. He went round while Kate was out at work. Justin opened them and read them. He sighed deeply looking down at Alannah as she played with her dollies in the corner. "She's yours" he sighed handing Lupo the letter which he read carefully. There was a one hundred percent match between his DNA and Alannah's DNA; she was his daughter and he had been kept out of her life for over five years. He was livid. "Alannah come here" said Justin. She stood up and raced over and jumped onto the sofa. Justin sat down on the armchair with the letter in his hand once again, while Lupo stood awkwardly behind the sofa. This was going to be a tough one to explain to a five year old, that the man she thought was her father, had loved like a father wasn't her dad at all. He may have acted like one but he wasn't, someone else was. "You know we did that test weeks ago where I put the cotton bud in your mouth?"

"Yes" she nodded "Why?"

"We sent it off to be tested" explained Justin "It was to find out who your daddy is… so we could look after you properly"

"Are you still my daddy?" she asked

"No" Justin shook his head "I'm not your daddy. Cyrus is your daddy"

"How?" she blinked, she didn't really understand.

"Mommy was with us both when she fell pregnant with you" said Justin "She didn't know who your daddy was"

"So do I have two daddies?" she asked

"If you want" Justin smiled slightly "But you can't tell mommy"

"Why not?" asked Alannah

"You just can't" replied Justin "You might have to go and stay with Cyrus for a while so mommy and I can sort things out."

"Are you going away?" she asked "Is mommy going away?"

"Yes" he nodded "Me and Mommy don't really erm well we don't really love each other anymore. We just wants what's best for you"

"Ok" Alannah nodded before turning around and kneeling on the sofa to look at Lupo. She turned her away to look at Justin again "Do you think mommy will let Cyrus take me out?"

"I don't know sweetie… I'll talk to her" said Justin standing up. He walked over to Lupo and said "I'll go in the bedroom for a while so you can get to know her"

"Ok" Lupo replied. Justin went into his bedroom and closed the door. Alannah looked at him expectantly, smiling and watching him with her big brown eyes, her long brown curls tumbling down her back. She jumped off the sofa and walked round to him. "You're my daddy aren't you?" she asked

"Yes" he nodded bending down to her level "I would like to get to know you a bit more if that's ok with you"

"Ok" she smiled. She took his hand and led him back to the sofa where she had been sitting before and they sat down. She told him all about herself, hardly stopping for breath as she talked at a million miles an hour. She was very energetic. She told him what all her favourite things were, about who her friends were, where she went to school and all the things she disliked. Then she asked him questions about himself. "What do you do?" she asked

"I'm a detective. I catch killers" he replied

"Do you have a badge!" she asked excitedly. He smiled and took it out of her pocket to show her. "Can I hold it!" she cried. He laughed slightly at her enthusiasm and handed it to her. "It's so cool! I want one!"

"Maybe when you're all grown up you can be a policewoman" he smiled

"I can catch all the bad people!" she grinned. They talked for ages and she didn't hold back. She had a very bright and bubbly personality, she was very confident and she was pretty smart. Eventually Justin came out of the bedroom, "Kate will be home in about twenty minutes so you probably should head off because if she sees this she will kill us both"

"Ok" Lupo stood up "Thanks for this. I'm glad you did this, I'm sorry you didn't get the result you wanted."

"It's ok…" Justin looked down "I've always known deep down she wasn't mine. How could I not she doesn't look a thing like me. She's the spit of you, she's your daughter and I don't want to get in the way of that. Kate may come round, but at least you know"

"Yeah" he replied. Alannah looked at him. They walked to door and she followed close behind.

"Are you going?" she asked.

"Yeah" he nodded "Your mommy won't be very happy about this"

"Will you come and see me again?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Of course I will" he smiled. She hugged his legs before looking up at him and say "Bye, bye Cyrus"

"Bye Alannah" he smiled. He finally left and went home, well to Lisa's who had known he was going there to find out the results of the paternity test and wanted to what they were. She had given him a key and he had given her a key to his place. He let himself in and she literally pounced on him. "So what happened?"

"She's my daughter" he replied "One hundred percent match"

"Are you pleased?" she asked

"Yes… I think." He nodded "I'm livid Kate didn't tell me she was pregnant and kept me out of her life for so long but we started to get to know each other"

"That's good" smiled Lisa

Over the next few weeks and always while Kate was at work he would go round and see Alannah and they really started to bond. She was desperate for him to take her to the park and eventually he and Justin relented. She was incredibly hyper and wanted to pet every dog she saw. When she had calmed down a bit they sat down for ice cream. "Next time I'll bring my dog" he smiled

"Really!" she grinned

"Really" he nodded

"Cool!" she shrieked almost dropping her ice cream.

Afterwards he took her home and told Justin all about it and swore she wouldn't tell her mom. Which so far she hadn't.

The following week he took her to the park and he brought his dog, Otto, with them, who she absolutely loved. She spent ages petting him before they even left. He was nearly as big as she was but that didn't stop her from trying to walk him, he practically dragged her along the floor at one point. Afterwards he had taken her home where Justin was waiting. They talked in the kitchen, about talking to Kate. After that he left. Alannah ran up to him and jumped into his arms "Thanks for taking me out today!" she smiled hugging him tightly.

"No problem" he smiled back "Same next week"

"Ok" she grinned "Bring doggie!"

"I will" he laughed putting her down.

"Bye!" she grinned waving him off before the door shut.

The following week he went round with otto and she wasn't as hyperactive as she usually was, she was quite quiet too. Usually she was jumping about all over the place and giggling at everything but today she was quiet and withdrawn. She still enjoyed walking otto and climbing in the park. It was hot day so she had ripped off her jumping revealing hand shaped bruises on her arms, adult sized hands. "Who did those?" he asked pointing to them

"I fell" she shrugged before running off to climb up the slide.

As they were walking home through the park she turned to him and admitted something. "I didn't fall over. Mommy did them. Last night, she was angry"

"Mommy shouldn't hurt you like that" he shook his head, how could attack her? She was her daughter, her own flesh and blood.

When they got back to Justin and Kate's apartment Alannah disappeared inside while he spoke to Justin "I want to talk to Kate"

"No" replied Justin "I still haven't worked out what to say to her"

"Justin she's been hitting Alannah" replied Lupo firmly

"I'll talk to her" said Justin. Alannah came out of her bedroom holding a piece of paper. "Look" she smiled showing it to Lupo. He kneeled down to her level so he could see it properly. "That's me and you and otto" she pointed to the page "Do you like it?"

"I love it" he smiled

"You can keep it" she beamed

"Thank you" he smiled taking it in his hand. She hugged him tightly for ages before letting him go. "Bye, bye!" she smiled waving him off.

"Bye" he replied as he left. He stuck the drawing up on his fridge, right in the middle but his head was running round in circles. Kate had hit her, but why?

Soon it had been two months since he had found Alannah was his. The time had flown by and he had come to love her as his daughter. They had bonded and she was desperate to stay over at his apartment, which he didn't mind. After all she was his kid, he had that right. He was going to have to talk to Kate. "Please can I stay over yours!" she begged as they walked through the park.

"You know I would like you to but I need to talk to your mommy first" he explained. She nodded, a bit disappointed.

One week he took her to meet her cousins, his brother's children, and they got on very well, then he took her to the park so she could get some of her energies off before taking her home. But when they got there they heard shouting. "WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER!" the female voice yelled, her voice wobbling as if she were crying.

"Kate no don't throw that… NO!" the male voice shouted, in somewhat fear.

"There's a key" Alannah whispered "On top of the door". He fumbled about on top of the door frame and found the spare key. As he opened the door he heard a smashing sound. He pushed the door open and saw Justin sat on the floor nursing a bloody forehead and Kate staring at him. She heard him and Alannah walk inside and she spun round. "You" she snarled "YOU BASTARD!"

"KATE!" he roared as she stormed over to them and pulled Alannah away from him.

"Out get out!" she cried, tears were in her eyes. He didn't know if they were angry tears, remorseful tears, genuine tears or crocodile tears.

"No I won't leave" he stood his ground

"GET OUT!" Justin roared "She told you to leave now GET OUT!"

"NO!" he shouted "You've already attacked him!" he gestured to Justin "What's to say you won't hurt her!"

"I didn't attack him and she is my daughter. I would never lay a finger on her" said Kate, hating the fact that he was insinuating she would hurt her own child.

"I'm your husband yet ya bash me around!" said Justin

"No I don't!" she replied calming herself "Now please, get out and don't come back got it"

"You hurt her and I will have you arrested and put in jail quicker than you can say sorry" he stated "I'm not kidding with you Kate". She took Alannah's hand and led her into her bedroom and closed the door. "You come back here she will kill you" said Justin "and I'm not kidding Cyrus!" He didn't disobey and left straight away but he feared for Alannah's safety, Kate was in a violent mood and she might do anything.

And anything did happen. But not by Kate. She was somewhat pleased when Alannah told her all about seeing Lupo all those times and what they had done together. How he taken her to the park, and to meet her cousins, that very day. In fact she was regretting not telling him about her pregnancy at the time when she had found out. What appears to be the story to someone looking in may look like the truth but what really goes on behind closed doors is the biggest and most perplexing mystery of all. And their behind doors secrets were dangerous and were spiralling out of control.

Lupo meanwhile went home to his own apartment instead of Lisa's for the first time in over a week. It was because he needed space to think without two kids running around under his feet. He loved them, he thought they were great but sometimes they were really irritating. He soon started to regret leaving Alannah with a homicidal Kate. Because he was the person looking in and he was the person not knowing the truth about what goes on behind closed doors.

He saw her the next day, well he went round the next day. Very early, Kate was a nurse and he knew what hours she worked, so he knew she wouldn't be there. Alannah opened the door and let him in. "Cyrus" she whispered, there was large bruise on her cheek, she had a black eye and she had a split lip. Kate had attacked her. She looked at him with her big brown, innocent eyes and started to cry. He picked her up and took her back inside. He held her in his arms while she cried. "Did mommy hurt you?" he asked gently.

"She was very angry" she sniffed still in his arms "She hit me six times" tears rolled down her cheeks "And she pushed me over then locked me in my bedroom."

"It's ok" he held close to comfort her as she cried "No else can hurt you now"

A door creaked open and Justin stumbled into the room "Shit" he cursed "Has she hurt her?"

"Yes" replied Lupo still holding her in his arms as she sobbed "How could you not know"

"I sent Alannah to her room last night after you left" explained Justin "I locked her in and took the key so Kate couldn't get to her. We rowed and she knocked me out. When i came round Alannah's door was still locked. I just assumed she'd calmed down and gone to work"

"Look Justin i don't have anything against you" Lupo began, making sure he worded this right "I'm taking her with me this time. I know Kate's hard going does love Alannah but she's hurt her. I've been waiting to talk to Kate but you always say next time. Well next time is too late. I shouldn't have left when Kate was in that rage. I should've taken her with me then"

"Kate will kill us. Both of us maybe even all three of us!" said Justin desperately, he didn't want Lupo to take Alannah because he knew what Kate would do to him, to all of them.

"You can deal with her" replied Lupo "It was your idea to get this paternity test so you could leave her and make sure Alannah was safe from her. I'm taking Alannah so she's safe. You just talk to her. Deal with her"

"Fine" said Justin. He put Alannah down and kneeled in front of her "You're going to come and stay with me for a while. So I need you to go get some things ok"

"Ok" she nodded before running off into her bedroom. She came out pulling a small suitcase behind her and her rucksack on her back. He took her hand as Justin came back into the room. "By Justin" she whispered

"By al" he replied. He tried to give her a hug but she pushed him away which Lupo saw as somewhat odd. He had been trying to protect her right? He hadn't attacked her yet she was pushing him away as if he had. Then she left with Lupo. They took the subway. He was meant to be working and couldn't get a hold of Lieutenant Van Buren. So he took her to his precinct. All the female officers thought she was adorable, though were a little concerned about the bruises on her face which her mother had given her. He went into the homicide department where he worked. "I've been trying to get you on your cell" said Bernard standing up "We got a case"

"I've been trying to get hold of Lou" said Lupo

"She's in a meeting with the chief of D's" replied Bernard

"Do you know when she'll be back?" asked Lupo

"No, she didn't say" Bernard shook his "So who's the kid is that exactly?"

"Alannah – she's my daughter" said Lupo

"She's your kid!" Bernard looked somewhat shocked

"Yeah I've only known a few months" he explained. Alannah looked nervously at Bernard.

"What happened to her face Lupes?" asked Bernard seeing Alannah's black eye and split lip courtesy of her own mom.

"Mommy attacked me" whispered Alannah "She was mad"

"She'd have to be to hit you" said Bernard softly looking at the young girl. She smiled slightly at him.

"Sorry to break this up but I need a word in private with detective Lupo" came a voice, it was Lt. Van Buren

"What about?" asked Lupo turning around

"It's a private matter detective" she replied "Who's this little cutie?"

"That's Alannah – she's his kid" smiled Bernard

"This is Alannah?" asked Van Buren

"Yeah – why" replied Lupo

"Detective Bernard can you watch Alannah while I talk to her daddy?" said Van Buren

"Sure" nodded Bernard. Lupo put her down and she went over to Bernard. Lupo went into the lieutenant's office. She came in after him and closed the door "A woman named Kate has made a complaint of harassment against you"

"Kate" he shook his head "She's got some nerve doing that"

"You do definitely know her then?" asked Lou

"I was engaged to her once" he replied "I called it off years ago. She's Alannah's mom"

"She said you forced her husband to get a paternity test" continued Lou "And that you've been harassing them via phone calls and emails"

"For a start I don't have their email address, secondly I only have Justin's cell number and he always calls me not the other way around" Lupo defended himself against Kate's ludicrous accusations against him.

"What about the paternity test?" asked Lou

"That was his idea entirely. He intended to leave her and take Alannah with him but he's always known she might not be his because she was seeing both of us at the same time. She hit's him, I mean we walked in on her throwing stuff at him last night. So he wanted that done so he knew he could leave her with Alannah. And if she tried to claim he had abducted her he wouldn't get charged or go to jail because she was his daughter"

"Only the results didn't go in his favour" said Lou

"No, there's a 100 % between and Alannah. He wasn't angry. She was when she found out we'd done it behind her back. She attacked us both. She put him in hospital" he explained

"Why didn't you tell her what you were doing?" asked Lou

"Are you kidding, she would've killed us. She's insisted I wasn't Alannah's father yet I know my name is on her birth certificate." Said Lupo "She's totally crazy"

"She wants to make it official but I said it doesn't sound like you. I thought it was a bit over the top" explained Lou "If she makes this official you could lose your job and have to pay them up to $3,000 in expenses"

"But I haven't done anything!" he shook his head "I can't believe she's doing this! None of this was my idea. I got to know my daughter behind her back otherwise I would never have gotten the chance. Kate knew she was pregnant when I left her but she didn't tell me. She told everyone else yet she never bothered to tell her own fiancée, she never called to say she's had Alannah, she's deliberately kept me out of her life for five years, and I'm not staying out of it anymore. So she can take that complaint and stick it-"

"Alright detective" Lou stopped him "The chief of D's is taking it very seriously as well… she was very edgy, she couldn't say a sentence without stammering"

"Well she can do what she likes. I'm filing for custody of Alannah whether she likes it or not" he stated "She beat her last night. Gave her a black eye and a split lip because she was 'angry'"

"Do you want to make that official?" asked Lou

"Yes" he replied.

"Right" she said "I'll talk to Alannah while you go out and work your case with detective Bernard. Then I'll look into talking to Kate". He nodded and left her office. He explained to Alannah that Lou was going to look after her and ask her some questions while he worked.

By that evening Lou had complied evidence of Kate's assault against Alannah in the form of a written statement from Alannah and photographic evidence of her injuries. A warrant for Kate's arrest was put out too. Lupo thanked his lieutenant and Alannah ran over to him and jumped into his arms. "You been a girl for Lieutenant van Buren?"

"She's been a little angel" smiled Lou

"Are we going home now Cyrus?" she asked

"Yeah" he nodded. She held his jacket as they left the precinct.

He made her dinner, her favourite which she had told him was fish fingers and potato waffles. Then he tucked her up in bed. "Story" she smiled handing him her princess fairy tale book. "Cinderella". As he read she drifted off to sleep. So he switched the light off and quietly left. He sat down on the couch and put the TV on quietly.

A few days passed and he received phone calls from Kate demanding to know where he lived but he refused to tell her. He stood his ground and stuck firm to protecting Alannah. The thing that stood out about her tone of voice during this calls. She seemed to be genuinely pleading with him not just calling him out of anger to harass him.


	4. Chapter 4: The First Time

Chapter 4: The first time

Three weeks had passed, Kate had not given up her harassment campaign. He had cleared out his spare room and had told Alannah she could decorate however she liked. She picked some baby blue paint, some cute princess bed sets and a white bed frame. They had painted the room together. When they had finished it looked she had fallen in the tin because was covered in it from head to toe. She did admit she missed Kate but she understood what her mom had done to her was very bad. Kate had reported him for child abduction but the error she made was not taking his name off her birth certificate which along with the DNA results, knocked the allegations off their feet and meaning there wasn't a crime to answer to.

A couple of weeks later when she was supposed to be at school and he was at work he received a call from Alannah's teacher telling Kate had picked her up at lunch time. He told his boss. Officers went round to her apartment, he went too. They kicked the door in and found Alannah laying on sobbing heap on the floor. She heard them come in and stumbled to her feet, sobbing she ran over to Lupo and he picked her up and cuddled her as she sobbed. Officers went further into the apartment and found Kate packing a bag full of her things and Alannah's things. "Put everything down and get down on your knees! We have a warrant for your arrest" shouted an officer. They cuffed her and led her out of the room. "You." She cried at Lupo, tears streaming down her cheeks "How could you do this to me?"

"You were the one who hit her" he replied holding Alannah close, she was still crying.

"I didn't hurt her!" cried Kate "I would never hurt her. I love her. It was Justin!"

"Don't lie to save your skin" he spat

"I'm not its true!" she replied tears in her eyes.

Kate was led away and Lupo took Alannah back to the precinct where the M.E looked her over. She had a black eye, bruises on her arms and legs and her left arm was broken. Broken by her mother. He took her straight to hospital where she was treated. Justin came to visit and he left them alone for just five minutes to get a coffee. A colleague from the C.A.I.T (Child abuse investigation team) came to take her statement. After they had left she turned to Lupo and said "Can we go home now daddy?"

He stared at her; she had called him daddy for the very first time. She had called him her daddy! He was momentarily speechless. "Tomorrow" he said "Tomorrow morning"

The next morning he took her home and sat with her all day while she rested, having been granted the day off by Van Buren. Alannah started to talk, she told him things that made him question Justin's motives. "Justin has a lady friend" she said "She used to come round lots. He kissed her lots too"

"Justin was cheating on your mommy?" he asked

"What's cheating?" she asked

"Well he's married to your mommy but he's kissing another woman. It's called cheating" he explained

"I heard them talking… they were talking about running away… without me" she sighed

"He was going to run away with someone?" asked Lupo

"I saw her lots and lots" said Alannah

"Do you know her name?" he asked

"Auntie Lisa" she replied "She's Auntie Lisa. They kiss each other all the time when mommy's not around. I told mommy and Justin hurt her."

Lupo started to think. Were Justin motives as clear cut as he had first thought? Or had Justin deliberately done that test knowing how they would come out so he could leave Kate, dump Alannah on him and ran away with his lover? Though he knew Kate had been hitting Justin and Justin wanted to leave her and take Alannah so she was safe maybe he had never wanted to take her with him. And hang on had she just said she had seen him kissing her Auntie Lisa, his current girlfriend?

The following day, after thinking through what Alannah had said to him, he slipped out of the precinct and went round to see Lisa who had the day off. She let him in and he just blurted out what Alannah had told him "Alannah said she saw you kissing Justin"

"I don't know why she'd say that" said Lisa

"Maybe it was because she did see it" he retorted

"She didn't. Her mother probably told her to say that" said Lisa "She jealous is Kate you know her"

"I thought I did once" he stated

"You know I'd never do anything to hurt you" she said sweetly. She had soon convinced him that Kate had forced Alannah to say it, because she had him wrapped round her little finger mostly. And the fact she could read him like a book, she knew what his weak spots were and she knew how to manipulate helped a lot.

Kate's arraignment was two weeks later. He had already started proceedings in family court to take full custody of Alannah, now it was time to see whether Kate's case would go to trial because if it and she didn't make bail his case would be very strong. "How does the defendant plead?" asked Judge

"My client pleads not guilty your honour" said Kate's lawyer, Mr Ashley

"Your honour the defendant beat up her own child" said Mike cutter "The evidence against Mrs Greene is more than substantial."

"Your honour the police forced my client's daughter to lie" said Mr Ashley "So Detective Lupo could take the child away from client"

"Your honour the child in question gave a full and uncoerced statement to the police" said mike

"How do the people move for bail?" asked the judge

"The people request remand your honour" replied mike "The defendant poses a threat to her child if she is given bail"

"Your honour my client is three months pregnant" Mr Ashley stepped "The case if it goes to trial will be stressful enough. I move for bail"

"Granted" said the judge "Bail is set at $500,000 and the defendant is not to come into contact with her daughter as conditions of the bail is that clear Mrs Greene. A date for trial will be set" Kate glared at him. Then she turned around and looked at Lupo pleadingly with her eyes. She looked like she was about to break down in tears.

He hated her for what he had done to their daughter. So why was there this niggling feeling in the pit of his stomach that seemed to believe her? A niggling feeling that made him think, well more realise, there might be more to this case, their story, than met the eye.

Mike and Connie went back to the DA's office. "Why were we not informed of her pregnancy?" asked mike as he sat down in his chair.

"It's part of client-attorney privilege" said Connie "They don't have to disclose information like that"

"How strong is your case?" asked Jack walking into the office

"Pretty strong" replied Mike "She should go down for five years at least. We've got photographic evidence and testimony from the victim and a witness"

"Her attorney just passed this motion to exclude all photographic evidence" jack dropped the motion on Mike's desk. "If the judge grants that motion your case rests on the testimony of a five year old girl"

The judge dismissed the motion to exclude the photographic evidence and date for trial was set. Meanwhile Lupo had progressed well in his claim for full custody of Alannah, there was just one more hearing. The hearing progressed without hiccup. Evidence of Alannah's injuries were shown and she gave a small statement. Justin was supposed to have been there but he never bothered showing up, which meant he was denied access to her. If he had been there he would've been allowed access because he had raised her for five years. Eventually after a little deliberation he was granted full custody. Kate was devastated, she vowed she wouldn't give up fighting for her daughter.

Kate upped her harassment campaign, which was basically violating her bail conditions as she was demanding to see Alannah. She would call early the morning, late at night and any other time she could think of. She had somehow gotten a hold of his email address both his work email and home email, and had started sending him threatening emails. Threatening to kill him if he didn't let her see Alannah and even that she would kill herself if he kept her from her. He stood firm though, he didn't give into her malicious hate campaign. Her emails even included how she would kill him with various methods including shooting him, stabbing him, strangling him, decapitating him and viciously maiming him. She threatened him with lawsuits and getting him sacked but it didn't work against him because he knew she didn't have the power to do them. She was about to go on trial for child battery, no one would listen to her claims. He had tried blocking her number and her email address but she seemed to find a way to hack it or would create another address. She was driving him insane, so he had reported her to his boss Lt. Van Buren and she had been arrested and released without charge three times already, but she had still carried on. Every time she was arrested she was shown copies if the emails and had insisted she hadn't written them. That she didn't even access to her laptop anymore as Justin refused to let. No one really seemed to believe her. They had threatened to confiscate her phones and computers if she carried on but she didn't stop, she just continued with her hate campaign towards him.

She had just been arrested for the fourth time as the emails had gotten even more graphic and the calls were nastier than ever. But again she pleaded her innocence. She was taken to the cells. On her way she saw Lupo. "Please I haven't done this you've got to believe me" she pleaded with him, tears in her eyes.

"Kate you've sent me emails threatening to castrate me with dirty tools so that I get AIDS and die a slow painful death!" he replied

"I would never send that you" she shook her head, tears almost rolling down her cheeks "I don't have access to my phone or my laptop anymore. Justin won't let me… he controls me"

"Don't do this Kate" he shook his head

"I'm sorry" tears splashed down her cheeks before she was pushed into the holding cell. She was released without charge later that day.

The feelings inside him still niggled. Why was he starting to believe her when she was harassing him 24/7 and had attacked their daughter? She had pleaded with him earlier, pleaded him to believe she hadn't sent the emails. Maybe she hadn't, but the calls that was her it sounded just like her… Was there more to this than met the eye?

A few days later Alannah said something that made him question Justin's motives and Kate's hate campaign even more. ""I want to see my mommy" she said as he tucked her into bed.

"You can't" he shook his head sitting down on the bed beside her "Your mommy hurt you. The judge said she had to stay away from you"

"But mommy didn't hurt me" said Alannah "She didn't"

"But you told me she did, you told the attorneys she did" he frowned

"Mommy never hit me… it was Justin" she looked down at the sheets "He made me tell you lies"

"You told the police it was mommy" said Lupo

"Because Justin told me to" she replied "He said if I didn't tell you mommy had hurt me he would kill her and I would go into care"

"Every time he hit you?" asked Lupo

"Yes" she nodded. "He's nasty"

"What does he do to you and mommy?" asked Lupo, unsure whether she was telling the truth or not but she was five, why would she make this up? Also from what he did remember of Kate, from when they had dated and had loved each other, he never remembered her being violent, angry yes but never violent. She knew how to get what she wanted but she had never been violent about it, just clever. She was a very clever woman, he had known her for years before he had started dating her anyway, they gone to school together, and they had dated then off and on. If she had done something like this she would've known how to cover it up and get away with it. That's why he taken her cheating as such a hard blown, he had forgiven her and he had wanted to try again but his heart had been torn at the time.

"He shouts at mommy all the time. He grabs her by her neck sometimes and he bites her too. He kicks her in the stomach and the face. He hits her in the face too" said Alannah "He's scary. I thought mommy was dead once". Those words went into his head and glued themselves there. She had seen her mom, if this was true, in a near dead state.

"What about you?" he asked "When I saw your bruises in the park that time was that him?"

"Yes" she nodded "He did just before you came. He was shouting at me"

"And when mommy was arrested?" he asked

"That was him too" she admitted "He came home when mommy was packing our things. He got mad at her. He said he couldn't leave her. He called her lots of bad words and he pushed her over. I told him not to hurt mommy and he grabbed me and started shaking me. He hit my face and he twisted my arm. It hurt a lot" she started to cry and looked at her plastered arm. Was this true. Was Justin a pathological liar and master manipulator?

"Does mommy have a mobile phone?" he asked

"No. Justin took it away from her after my birthday" she sighed "And her laptop that I used to play games on"

He read her sleeping beauty while she went to sleep. Then when she was asleep he left her room and logged onto his computer. He started making a reply to 'Kate's' latest threat. He decided to ask her a question only she would be able to answer. A question only they knew the answer to.

_Kate_

_If this really is you then I need to be sure. Make me sure it is so I can take it seriously. If this really is you then you'll remember this… when we were fifteen we sneaked out of school and went to a den to have sex. I told you I loved you and you said you wanted us to be together till we died of old age. You said you wanted us to have kids together and let them run us off our feet. What did we do after that? Cyrus._

He sent the email. He knew that would let him know whether or not she was sending those emails. Only they knew where they'd gone after they'd left that den. Only they knew they'd climbed on the roof of her apartment building in Queens and laid up there all night wrapped up in each other's arms. He had asked her to marry him as a sort of joke and she had said yes, they had sworn one day they would.

Just seconds later a reply came back. The reply that changed everything. _'I don't remember. It was nearly 19 years ago. Kate_

Kate still remembered it, she had actually used it against him in the argument where he had called off their real engagement. She had said it was her fondest memory, because she had shared it with him. So he decided to do some digging into this. He made calls to her ward at the hospital and she picked up. "Kate!"

"Yes" she replied "Hang on… Cyrus"

"Yeah it's me… I just emailed you… well your laptop because you sent me an email twenty minutes ago threating to cut my nuts off"

"I've been at work since four this afternoon, here I'll pass you over to my boss" there was some shuffling noises and another woman spoke "Yes she's been here since four"

"Thanks" he said and the nurse handed the phone back to Kate. "Is Justin at home?"

"Yes he's there… Bastard!" she cried

"Kate please tell me what Alannah's been telling me isn't true. He hasn't been knocking you about has he?" he asked her, upon hearing her distressing tone.

"No!" she burst into tears before hanging up on him. He leaned back in his chair, Alannah might well be telling the truth. And that was a nasty moment of realisation.

The next day at work he started digging around in Justin's past. He discovered his rap sheet was more extensive than he'd originally known. He'd been arrested for assault in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, had done a five year stretch in Rikers, arrested for assault in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The last three arrests had been made after a woman had claimed assault against him and that woman was Kate Greene or as in the first Kate Addison. He had been beating her for years. He then made calls to Kate's boss who confirmed that at the times most of the calls threatening him had been made Kate had been working and the times and dates that the emails had been sent she had been working. She had never sent them. Someone was framing her. But the calls, they sounded like her but she had been working when they had been made. Though she still could've done it, but he was wondering if she actually had. So he dug further. and learned they'd all been made from her apartment, how would she have made them when she had been at work. Her boss even sent him CCTV tapes showing her working. So someone else had made them to frame her. He knew Justin was part of it but he had no idea who his co-conspirator was… unless… no she wouldn't… not her own sister.

He went to see Lisa after work only she wasn't there, Kate was there. He knocked on the door and sobbing Kate pulled it open "What are you doing here?" he asked

"She said I could stay… Justin attacked me" she sniffed wiping her cheeks. She went back inside and he followed. She fell onto the sofa and curled up in a tight ball, tears splashing down her cheeks. "I knocked the phone and the voicemails started playing. I didn't know how to stop it and I heard something… Justin…"

"Justin?" he asked. She nodded before sobbing hard into her knees. He stood up and went over to the phone and pressed the voicemail button. "It's the second one" she sobbed. He went forward and heard Justin's voice. _"Looks like it's all working out exactly how we planned. Your sister will be off to prison soon, Alannah's off living with her dopey, none the wiser dad, he believes you're Kate and Leo's demanded custody of your two. God I love you, I keep thinking about you, the way you feel next to me. I can't wait to feel it all the time. You're the one I want not your stupid, dosey sister. I've got the tickets for the plane to Arizona and the apartment's ready, my bro Dave went and checked it out. It's better than the dumps we live in! I gotta go your dosey sisters home. Love you with all my heart" _the call ended and he switched the voicemail machine off. Kate was now crying so hard, she didn't sound like she was even breathing properly. She was devastated, she had been betrayed by her own sister. He looked at her, his guts churning like a washing machine. Lisa was in on this with Justin, she always had been. She had been framing her own sister and manipulating him. "I told you I wasn't threatening you" she sobbed

"I know" he looked down

"You don't believe me, no one does!" she sobbed even harder "Justin's ruined my life. He knocks me around then he took my daughter away from me and made it look I was beating them both!"

And that's when the cold hard truth slammed him in the face. He had been wrong about her, so very wrong. Justin just wanted her in prison so she couldn't come after him and ruin his new life with Lisa and he didn't want Alannah to bother them! He had done this whole thing so he and Lisa could be together!


	5. Chapter 5: Talking To You

Chapter 5: Talking to you

Kate sobbed for ages, she couldn't form any more sentences after her devastated outburst at him for quite some time. He just sat there and watched her cry, not knowing what to do. It made him realise, seeing her cry like that how much he had once cared about her. He would've given his life to her, to save her once. Though she had broken his heart, he realised through all of that and all of this mess he still for some reason harboured feelings for her. He still cared about her. And he didn't understand why. Eventually she spoke "I know you hate me because you think and believe I hurt Alannah. Everyone does… but you know me, you've known me since I was eleven. You know I'm not violent. I never hurt you. In the thirteen years we dated on and off. I never hurt you did I"

"No you didn't… but people change" he replied

"I haven't changed" she shook her head "I didn't hurt Alannah. I could never hurt her. When I took her from school I was going to run away with her. So we would be safe. Justin told me… told me he would kill her"

"Why?" he asked

"I tried to leave him" tears filled her eyes again "I had packed my bags and I was ready to go. But he came home as I was about to leave… he saw my bags and flew off the handle. He grabbed me by the throat and tried to strangle me. He hit me a few times then he threw me onto the sofa… he pinned me down with all his weight and then he… he… he" she couldn't say the words and instead broke down in tears again. Somehow, somehow he knew what her words were going to be 'he raped me'

"Did he rape you?" he asked gently.

"Yes" she sobbed "He wouldn't stop. I screamed at him and I struggled with all my might but he carried on… I thought he was going to kill me"

"Why didn't you report him?" he gulped, Justin had raped her and he felt sick.

"It wasn't… it wasn't the first time" she sobbed "He does it whenever he wants to have sex. He doesn't… doesn't care if I don't want it… he just does it" she rested her head in her knees and cried her heart out. "I wish I was dead" she cried suddenly "Everything is gone… I have nothing worth living for. My husband beats me, he rapes me, my daughter is gone, I'm never going to see her again, my sister… my sister has betrayed me… I want to die" she rose to her feet, her eyes red raw from all the crying she had done. He watched her, rising to his feet as she ran into the kitchen. He heard the rattling of cutlery and ran into the kitchen. She was holding a carving knife to her neck. She was sobbing "I can't do this anymore… he's ruined my life!" she cried hysterically

"You don't have to do this" he shook his head "I can help you"

"You think I beat Alannah up!" she cried, tears running down her face, she pressed the knife into her neck. "I have nothing"

"Alannah loves you" he said.

"No one loves me. Everyone has turned on me, even Alannah" she sobbed

"She hasn't" he replied. But Kate didn't listen and pressed the knife into her neck. Unable to stand back and let her take her own life he walked over to her and took her arm and then her hand trying to get the knife off of her. He couldn't let her take her own life, because he realised she wasn't the violent, manipulative woman Justin had made her out to be, she was a terrified and emotionally damaged woman who was on the edge. She wrestled with him "No I want to do it!" she cried

"I won't let you. Alannah needs you!" he replied trying to get the carving knife out of her hand. She repeatedly cried that she wanted to do it as he tried desperately to get that knife out of her hand. Then the knife fell from her hand and hit the floor with a clang. She gave up, bursting into tears, he pulled her towards him and held her close in a hug. He held her head with one hand, his other wrapped around her waist to hold her up while her arms dangled loosely by her arms as she sobbed into his chest. As she sobbed into his chest he said "I believe you, I believe you"

They stood there for ages just him holding her as she cried her heart out, her broken heart out. She had a lot of tears to cry and a lot of pain to cleanse herself of. She shook violently as she cried too, why hadn't she told anyone before? She had kept this bottled up for such a long time, she was broken, shattered into a thousand pieces. "Last night…" she sobbed, stammering "He… he raped me again"

"Kate… how many times has he raped you?" asked Lupo, not knowing if he truly wanted to know.

"So many" she sobbed "The night… the night I came round here… and accused of… of forcing him to do a DNA… DNA test he raped me…" she moved from his arms, tears still flowing down her cheeks. She sunk down to the floor and rested against a cupboard and hunched up so her knees were touching her chest. He sat down beside her. "Tell me what happened" he slipped his had round hers and squeezed. She hadn't been beating Justin, he had been beating and raping her.

"I got home from work" she began wiping her cheeks with her other hand "And Alannah told me she'd met you. She said Justin had put a cotton bud in her mouth. He told me he had done a DNA test on her with you. He told me you forced him to do it or else you would put him in jail where he belongs. He said it was all your idea but he lost his temper with me"

"Why?" he asked feeling her grip tighten on his hand.

"I defended you" she sobbed "I said you'd never do that. I said I knew you well enough to know you wouldn't force him to do anything and you knew if you arrested him again you would face a huge lawsuit and would lose your job. He kept insisting you had and he said you threatened Alannah. But she had overheard. I put her to bed because he was starting to get angry. She told me it was his idea because she had overheard you talking and that you had simply agreed. I left her room and he was standing in the middle of the living room. He asked me what Alannah had said to me and I told what she had said and that I believed her. He lost it then… he flew at me and punched me in the face then he threw me down to the floor and kicked me in the stomach a few times. Then he grabbed my hair and dragged me into our bedroom… he threw me onto the bed. I tried to get out of the room but he locked the door… he took his trousers off… then threw me onto the bed and sat on top of me… he took my trousers off and then… then… then"

"He raped you" he sighed.

"Yes" she sobbed "He made me believe it was your idea… I was angry, I was in pain when I came round… I didn't know what I was doing. I took Alannah and left her with you so… so I could get a rape kit… that was the first time he raped me"

"He never should've raped you" he shook his head

"That's why I made… made that complaint of harassment against you" she wiped her tears away "After you'd gone he went ballistic. He threw me around, started kicking lumps out of me, punching me til I couldn't cry or speak. Then he took me into our room, said I had to go to the police and report you for harassment. I refused. So he raped me… I still refused so he threatened me with a knife… he held it to my neck and said if I didn't I was dead"

"Why didn't you… why didn't you leave earlier?"

"I tried… I've tried so many times" she tried wiping her tears but more flowed "He always finds me or stops me. He threatens me… I don't know what to do… and last night I tried to leave him again… I packed a bag but he got home… he yelled at me that I wasn't leaving him and I said I was so he threw me against the wall and punched me in the face. Then he threw me to the floor and started kicking me" she burst into tears again "He kicked me for ages… then he pinned me down on the floor and… and raped me… I couldn't stop him… I screamed and screamed at him to stop… I scratched him as much I could but that made him do it even more… I managed to bite him and… and he head butted me. He got up and kicked me in the face" she moved her hair from her face and revealed a large foot size bruise on her cheek. It looked painful.

"Oh god" he said, feeling such a fool for ever believing Justin, believing she could knock him around.

She put her legs down so they were flat on the floor and unzipped her jumper and pulled up her shirt. Her stomach, which was swollen slightly because she pregnant, was covered in purple, yellowing bruises. His mind was running around in circles, she wouldn't have thrown herself around not when she was pregnant and he was pretty damn sure she wouldn't lie about being raped. She had to be telling the truth and that was a horrible moment of realisation. "He did this to me" she sobbed putting her hand on her stomach. "I tried… I tried to stop him from hurting Alannah but I couldn't. The day I was arrested he went for me… and she told him not to hurt me again… he locked me in the bedroom… and attacked her… I could hear her screaming… crying… I banged on the door… but he wouldn't stop… or let me out"

"Then we turned up and arrested you and he'd already left so neither of you could point the finger at him" said Lupo

"I guess" she looked down at her knees as she zipped her jumper back up "He gets so angry over the smallest things… he terrifies me… I never know when he's going to explode and attack me… I don't have time to run. My baby is a product of rape and my daughter hates me… I can't even see her"

"She doesn't hate you" he shook his head. "She told me you didn't hurt her… that Justin had made her say you had. She said if she didn't tell us it was you he would kill you and she would go into care. She wants to see you… I think she's scared you're not ok. She told me she thought you were dead once"

"Justin he attacked me a few months ago, one his worst outbursts" she sniffed "He threw me at the wall, I stumbled and whacked my head on the corner of the kitchen counter. I was knocked out for a while… he didn't call ambulance and she didn't because he took the phone away from her… she told me when I came round. She was sitting beside me, clinging to my hand. She said she had been begging me to wake up. She said 'I thought you were dead mommy'… I held her in my arms for ages"

"You've got to leave him if he's doing this to you" he said

"He's too possessive" she sobbed pulling herself to her feet. She took her jumper off and pulled up the back of her t-shirt. Her back was covered in scars, one went from the bottom of her spine to the top of her neck, and others reached right across while others sat in between them. It was like looking at child's scribbly drawing. She had a tattoo on the nape of her neck. It said _'Alannah 15.12.03'_, someone had tried to cut it off with what he could only guess had been a small kitchen knife. "He did these to me" she turned so she could she see her sides, cuts and scars were on both of them, some of these had to be permanent. "And those"

"Did Justin try to cut your tattoo off?" he asked, what he was seeing made him feel physically sick. As homicide detective he saw gruesome things on a practically daily basis, but this, seeing her covered in scars seemed, it was so much worse.

"Yes" she nodded letting her shirt fall down "A few weeks ago… he tied me down. To our bed. My feet and hands were tied to the bed and he gagged me so I couldn't scream… I saw the knife. He pushed my head into the pillow and the knife went into my skin… I struggled with him… and he sort of passed out… he was drunk when he did it… so drunk he passed out… I thought I was going to die… he was so heavy and I couldn't untie myself… I had to wait till he came round again… he untied me and I fled to the hospital to have stitches… I didn't know how to tell them… I was in too much shock"

"You should've got them to call the cops" he said

"He said if I did… they wouldn't believe because I'm up for child battery and everyone believes I did it" she sobbed "And he would kill me… I would be dead before I could even make a statement… you don't know what it's like. To be controlled like this. To have some rule your life. To be terrified of your own shadow… and now this" she sunk down to the floor again and hunched up again. He sat down beside her again and she grabbed his hand and held on for dear life. He looked at their hands, he could see and feel her shaking. She wasn't making this up at all. There was too much proof she wasn't and there was one word she definitely needed to hear from him and the word was sorry. "I'm so sorry" he said "For not believing you. I've known you for a long time and I know you, I can read you like a book. How could I ever have believed you would hurt her?"

"Because I never told you I was pregnant" she replied, tears hitting the cold kitchen floor "And because I cheated on you… you must think I deserve this"

"I think that is mostly the reason" he sighed "I was angry, angry that you never even told me. I was your fiancée and I never even knew. It felt like everyone else knew and I didn't, that I hadn't at the time… why did you never tell me?"

"I wanted to" she looked into his eyes, her eyes were sore from all the tears she had cried. "Lisa knew I'd been seeing Justin and she said if you found out I'd been seeing him after I told you I was pregnant you'd go absolutely mental. You'd say the child wasn't yours and would want fuck all to do with it, in those exact words. That you'd leave me holding the baby. I ended it when you walked in on us. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. I wish I could take those three months back and do them over."

"Three months?" he frowned "But they both told me it was six"

"It was three" she sighed "I know how long it lasted. When I found out I was pregnant I freaked. I knew there was a fifty, fifty chance she was either of yours. You found out I was cheating on you when I was eight weeks gone, then you left me a week later. I thought at the time it was more likely to be his because well I had slept with him more than you. Then Lisa told me not to tell you at all because you had left me. I was confused and mad at myself for hurting you the way I had. Justin convinced me we could make it work for the baby's sake… so we tried. At first things were fine… until the baby was born."

"He realised he wasn't the father" said Lupo

"Yes" she nodded wiping tears from her face "Alannah was born early, I had a fall and I went into labour and there was nothing the doctors could do. She was tiny but she looked so much like you even then, it was undeniable. At first, when we first brought her home he tried to accept that she probably wasn't his. But he knew and he hated it. He thought I'd tricked him into staying with me. Just after her second birthday he lost it with me because… because he found I'd been trying to find you"

"You tried to find me?" he asked

"For ages but you'd just disappeared. I swear I wanted you to know." She explained sadly "He smashed my computer and phone up then he attacked me, he punched me then pulled my hair. The next morning he was full of apologies and swearing he'd never do it again. But he did and soon he stopped showing remorse for it. He said Alannah was his daughter and no other man was going to be her father. Then I got pregnant and he didn't want that baby so… so he threw me at the wall and kicked me in the stomach over twenty times. The next day I woke up in a pool of my own blood… and I knew I'd lost the baby." She burst into tears again. "And he doesn't want this one either… that's why he beat me up and… and… and raped me… last night… Owww"

"What?" he frowned watching her closely.

"My stomach… it hurts so much" she cried before screaming in pain. She stumbled to her feet and staggered to the bathroom clinging to her stomach. She pushed the door shut and he could her hear screaming and crying from outside. He stood beside the door while she screamed and screamed, knowing in his head she was losing that baby. Losing her baby because its father had beaten and raped her the night before. "You don't deserve this" he said gently. He heard an absolutely heart-breaking scream and he sunk down to the floor and rested his head in one hand. He had no idea what to do. She had stopped screaming, in fact she had gone deadly quiet. "Kate?" he asked through the door "Kate? KATE?" but she didn't reply. He pushed the door open, she was sat on the floor, hunched up staring numbly at the wall. "He did it" she whispered blankly "He killed the baby". Without warning she burst into tears again.

He heard the front door open and Lisa came into her apartment. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing" he spat, suddenly furious. Furious with her for betraying and lying to him from the very beginning and for helping to reduce her sister to this state.

"My sister is crying her heart out in my bathroom and you're standing over her!" she retorted "What have you done?"

"I haven't touched her" he snapped "Your boyfriend did it. You know that though don't you?"

"I lost my baby" sobbed Kate "Because of what Justin did"

"He didn't do a thing to you" sneered Lisa

"He beat me and raped me!" Kate cried hysterically

"You're a nasty little liar" Lisa spat.

"I'm a liar am I?" cried Kate "I did this to myself did I?" she pulled her shirt up and showed Lisa her scarred back. "I can reach the top of my neck and try to cut my own tattoo off with a knife can I! I'm that flexible am I?"

"I don't what your game is but you're both off your heads!" Lisa snarled.

"How could you do this to me?" sobbed Kate "How could you do this!"

"Do what?" asked Lisa, as if she had no idea what her sister was talking about.

"You're planning to run away with Justin because you've been shagging him!" he shouted "You and he masterminded this whole thing. Right from the start!"

"You bastard!" she seethed.

"No you're a manipulative bitch" he spat. Lisa slapped him round the face and Kate just propelled herself at her sister, heartbroken over her betrayal. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

"Get off me you stupid bitch!" hissed Lisa. Lupo grabbed Kate's waist and arms and pulled her away.

"Justin has ruined my life and now you want to run off with him!" cried Kate, tears flowing down her face. "You've hurt me so deep Lisa. How could you do this when you know he raped me?"

"You just don't understand. You were never what he wanted. You lied and manipulated him so he would stay with you because he!" she pointed to Lupo "fucked off and left you at eight weeks pregnant! And that was because you're a dirty little whore who couldn't keep her legs shut!"

"You're no better then are you?" sneered Lupo

"He wanted to make a go of it with me!" said Kate "It was his idea. I was prepared to go after the love of my life and make it work with him but I Justin convinced me we could work because he knew the baby was his!"

"You could've said no… but then again you always were incredibly gullible" sneered Lisa "Like when Cyrus asked you to marry him when you were fifteen"

"I never told you about that" stammered Kate

"I read your diary" shrugged Lisa "You didn't honestly believe he meant it did you? He was fifteen too, all he wanted to do was have sex with you"

"I… I... I…" trembled Kate, who looked incredibly humiliated.

"I did mean it" said Lupo "Just like you mean to hurt your sister and send her to prison. You stupid cow. You don't even see what Justin's doing to her is wrong do you?"

"It's not" Lisa said coldly

"He beats me and rapes me whenever he wants. He controls me and rules my life. He has tried to kill me so many times!" cried Kate "You've betrayed me in the worst way. You took my daughter away from me and convinced everyone I was knocking her around. I feel like I have nothing… I tried to take my life"

"Don't lie to me" seethed Lisa

"She's not" said Lupo "I had to fight that knife out of her hand"

The argument was explosive, Lupo threw all he found out at her and she tried denying it but it was obvious it was true. Kate had given her two pence worth as well, she told her just how betrayed she felt by her. So betrayed in fact she had almost committed suicide. He told it was over and was glad for it, knowing he'd never really loved her and she'd never loved him, she'd just been stringing him along.

Everything was about to change again…


End file.
